[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Reuters-Thai police seize 126 kg of

Subject: Reuters-Thai police seize 126 kg of U.S.-bound heroin 

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0010_01BF5D4D.11FE32C0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Thai police seize 126 kg of U.S.-bound heroin=20
04:06 a.m. Jan 12, 2000 Eastern=20
BANGKOK, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Thai anti-narcotics police said on Wednesday =
that a joint operation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had =
netted 126 kg (280 lb) of U.S.-bound heroin.=20

The heroin, which had originated in neighbouring Myanmar, was seized at =
Bangkok International Aiport on Monday and was their biggest haul in two =
years.=20

Officials declined to say how much the seizure would have been worth at =
U.S. street prices, but narcotics experts in Thailand said the street =
value in New York City would be more than $50 million.=20

Sorasit Sangprasert, secretary-general of Thailand's Office of the =
Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), said the heroin came from northeastern =
Myanmar's Shan State in an area controlled by the United Wa State Army, =
an ethnic minority force.=20

``This big haul was seized through cooperation between the U.S. =
government via the DEA, the ONCB and the Narcotics Suppression Police,'' =
Sorasit told a news conference.=20

``I believe that in this case most of the drugs were manufactured by the =
Wa group.''=20

Sorasit said the seizure was the result of an investigation that had =
lasted several months and that the shipment was the work of overseas =
Chinese gangsters based in the United States in collaboration with =
ethnic Chinese groups in Hong Kong and Thailand.=20

Police said two Thai men of Chinese origin had been detained during the =
airport seizure operation. The drugs had been about to be loaded on a =
plane bound for the United States, they added.=20

Bangkok-based DEA officer Bill Simpson told the news conference that =
cooperation between the DEA and Thai police had been outstanding. He =
declined to provide further details saying the investigation was still =
in progress.=20

Myanmar's Shan State is one of the world's top sources of heroin, most =
of which is produced in areas controlled by ethnic armies which reached =
ceasefire agreements with the the country's central military-run =
government in 1989.=20





------=_NextPart_000_0010_01BF5D4D.11FE32C0
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT color=3D#800000><FONT =
size=3D4><STRONG>Thai=20
police seize 126 kg of U.S.-bound heroin</STRONG> =
<BR></FONT></FONT>04:06 a.m.=20
Jan 12, 2000 Eastern=20
<P>BANGKOK, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Thai anti-narcotics police said on =
Wednesday that=20
a joint operation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had =
netted 126=20
kg (280 lb) of U.S.-bound heroin.=20
<P>The heroin, which had originated in neighbouring Myanmar, was seized =
at=20
Bangkok International Aiport on Monday and was their biggest haul in two =
years.=20
<P>Officials declined to say how much the seizure would have been worth =
at U.S.=20
street prices, but narcotics experts in Thailand said the street value =
in New=20
York City would be more than $50 million.=20
<P>Sorasit Sangprasert, secretary-general of Thailand's Office of the =
Narcotics=20
Control Board (ONCB), said the heroin came from northeastern Myanmar's =
Shan=20
State in an area controlled by the United Wa State Army, an ethnic =
minority=20
force.=20
<P>``This big haul was seized through cooperation between the U.S. =
government=20
via the DEA, the ONCB and the Narcotics Suppression Police,'' Sorasit =
told a=20
news conference.=20
<P>``I believe that in this case most of the drugs were manufactured by =
the Wa=20
group.''=20
<P>Sorasit said the seizure was the result of an investigation that had =
lasted=20
several months and that the shipment was the work of overseas Chinese =
gangsters=20
based in the United States in collaboration with ethnic Chinese groups =
in Hong=20
Kong and Thailand.=20
<P>Police said two Thai men of Chinese origin had been detained during =
the=20
airport seizure operation. The drugs had been about to be loaded on a =
plane=20
bound for the United States, they added.=20
<P>Bangkok-based DEA officer Bill Simpson told the news conference that=20
cooperation between the DEA and Thai police had been outstanding. He =
declined to=20
provide further details saying the investigation was still in progress.=20
<P>Myanmar's Shan State is one of the world's top sources of heroin, =
most of=20
which is produced in areas controlled by ethnic armies which reached =
ceasefire=20
agreements with the the country's central military-run government in =
1989.=20
<P><BR></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0010_01BF5D4D.11FE32C0--